Audiobook, as my eyes continue to heal, and re-form, post cataract surgery. Surprisingly my first Lippman ever. My thanks to my State and PL for the onAudiobook, as my eyes continue to heal, and re-form, post cataract surgery. Surprisingly my first Lippman ever. My thanks to my State and PL for the online audiobook. Her first novel, surprising that it clocks in at about 340 pp (just short of 10 hours long on audio). Most first mystery novels seem to be closer to 190-220. Lean and mean. So there was more than a bit of filler here. I could have done without the 2 long rowing sections. Listening, I was aware of where I would have cut back in an abridged audio edition. Enjoyed Lippman's sense of humor, and the details of historic, and an older, Baltimore. And the literary traditions there (gotta love someone who also loves Cain!). Lots of characters, but it was easy to keep track of them. OTOH, the end was a bit of a long muddle, as she wrapped up all the plot lines - "follow the money" sidetracks galore, and the 4 or 5 murders. Enjoyed a lot, and going on to her next title in the series, also as an audiobook. I hope to be able to read read some time early next week. 4 out of 5. ...more
Post cataract surgery, listened to this as an audiobook. My Amazon Music subscription gives me access to one audiobook per month, and only for that moPost cataract surgery, listened to this as an audiobook. My Amazon Music subscription gives me access to one audiobook per month, and only for that month. Appreciated it more once I found out how much audio books online cost! (Yes, getting some from my PL.) 9 months pregnant Annie is at IKEA when an earthquake hits Portland and the Pacific NW. She makes her way to her husband's workplace, and then to the theatre where he is (unexpectedly) in rehearsal, and then home. All in one day, walking mostly. She experiences all the different kinds of people and events you would expect. Chapters with as-she-lives-them moments are presented back and forth with chapters on her earlier life, up to that morning before she leaves to buy a baby crib. There are some issues between the couple. And the disappointment of her own life (one play produced locally early on, and now she is a well paid, but bored, admin assistant at a tech company). It was OK, my interest came and went. The elementary school scene was very affective. But, like some others, I found the last chapter ending of the ultimate Earth Mother experience to be a bit much, and unlikely. I used to be in Portland for business about 4 times a year back in the '90's, but it has changed so much since then. But I did recognize some of the locations, but not all of them. And the socio-economical significance of each of them escaped me as well. 2 out of 5 - it was OK. Should be read by Portland/NW US people, although the idea of their city looking like Oakland in 1989 might be hard to take.
I had just finished Nell Zink's "Sister Europe", about life in contemporary Berlin for artsy people, some of them ex-pats. And an ad for this novel, aI had just finished Nell Zink's "Sister Europe", about life in contemporary Berlin for artsy people, some of them ex-pats. And an ad for this novel, also set in Berlin, popped up. A couple, ex-pats from Italy, who are work at home free lance techies from Gen Y. A short novel, but also not an easy read - it opens with about 3 pages of a very detailed description of their Berlin apartment (lots of house plants!). There is no dialog in the book at all, and it is all presented by a narrator describing the lives of Anna and Tom. They are rather settled in, and not particulalry happy at all - but they are not sure why, or what will make them happy. They try other places, as Berlin becomes expensive, their friends leave, or start familes. And the city is overrun with English speakers, with money. And these newcomers are now also younger than them! For some reason I enjoyed reading it more than 2nd night than the first. Latronico finishes it off with a short chapter describing their "luck". But, given the date he gives for the opening of their new project, is it really lucky? The cusp of COVID. This is Latronico's first novel translated into English, and was first published in Italy in 2022. It was just recently nominated for the 2025 Booker International Prize. Kind of an enjoyable novel about young techies and expats in Berlin. Some of the text is German government form names, which need to be Googled to understand their purpose and importance to staying on in Berlin, And a map of Berlin's neighborhoods by your side as you read will be helpful as well. Given the complete lack of dialog, some may find this neither an easy, nor enjoyable, read. But I did enjoy it the more I read it. 3/4 out of 5. Hoping more of his work will be translated into English. ...more
A short work by Snyder, driven by his own medical emergency (appendix and liver), and by the COVID pandemic. In the book he compares the medical treatA short work by Snyder, driven by his own medical emergency (appendix and liver), and by the COVID pandemic. In the book he compares the medical treatment he has had in Europe (not all good) and the US. Profit driven medical care, without equal coverage for all, puts a damper on democracy. Hard to care about freedom when your health is in question. He continues to stress that we need local journalists to uncover and share the facts - although his solution is a bit pie-in-the-sky. As usual, sources are included in the Notes at the back, and are especially numerous and good for the chapter on the mess that was the COVID response in the US. As with anything he writes, this is worth a read; and nice to get some of his personal life's details as well. But this is not his best work - but then I think he realizes that as well (publised as a pb and ebook only). This was written for a particular issue that concerns him - Health Care and democracy. 3.5 out of 5. My thanks to my local PL for having a copy on hand for me to borrow. ...more
My thanks to NetGalley and Penguin/RH/Knopf for an eARC of this novel. I read an interview with her in the NYTBR and wanted to read this right away - My thanks to NetGalley and Penguin/RH/Knopf for an eARC of this novel. I read an interview with her in the NYTBR and wanted to read this right away - which I did. 6 people in Berlin one night, covering 12 hours. Demian - the father and friend, an architectural critic, German, married to an American woman. His 15 year old trans daughter, looking to explore her sexuality (14 is the age of consent in Germany). His good friend Toto - an American expat, who used to date Demian's wife. Toto's date - a much younger American woman, picked up on a dating app - he is surprised she appears, as she had blown him off multiple times before. Livia - the distant woman, German schoolmate of Demian, does English gardens, dealing with her family's Nazi past (her grandfather was a famous ace, she lives in the post-modern house he built, now surrounded by apartment buildings), she likes rich men, even if she would never admit to it. Demian and Toto both kind of have a thing for her. And the ambi-sexual Radi, in age between the others, a Middle Eastern prince who wants to be identified as Swiss, and comes from oil money (he almost gets knifed at a rave, since he "doesn't belong here"). Built around a literary ceremomy and dinner for Masur (again, Demian's friend), an elderly Middle Easterner, by way of Sweden, writer - who will remind you a lot of Rushdie! A minor literary award (from Radi's family), on a Tuesday night in Berlin, only 30 people turn up, not the 160 expected. It goes on forever. And a few other characters here and there populate the novel. The group of 6 leave the post ceremony dinner and walk about late night Berlin. It is a fun romp, reminding me of a gentler, less brutally cynical, Edward St Aubyn. But it is about so much more than just being "fun" - heritage, politics, German history, family, relationships, and general knowledge (or lack thereof) of other countries and cultures. Looking forward to reading some more Zink, an expat American living in Germany herself. She was unpublished for quite some time. 4.5 out of 5....more
My thanks to NetGalley and Pushkin Press for an eARC of this reprint of a short Joseph Roth novel. First published in 1927, Pushkin is reprinting a nuMy thanks to NetGalley and Pushkin Press for an eARC of this reprint of a short Joseph Roth novel. First published in 1927, Pushkin is reprinting a number of Peter Owens Publishing's titles. And at the very back, the book includes a nice little biography of him, and the history of his publishing company. This title was published by Owens in 1977 - there has been an Overlook Press reprint edition since then as well. The short book (Roth did a fair number of them) is a type of bildungsroman of an Austrian gentleman (half Jewish). Except it picks him up in his 20's rather than his teens, and follows him on his peripatetic travels about Russia and Europe, on into his early 30's. The main character, Franz Tunda, is rather 2 dimensional, and is used mostly for Roth to write up his views on any number of subjects. Many of the short scenes read like a flâneur, with his (Roth as Tunda) observation on the cities and people about him. An early 20th C "superfluous man", as in Turgenev's 19th C long story - and a term used at the very end of the book. I hope Pushkin has a good editor look at this before publication. Every time a double "f" occurs (e.g. "officer") the 2 letters, plus the next one after it, are omitted. It makes for interesting reading. I wonder if perhaps they did that on purpose, so the eARC would not be passed along? I do love Roth, and while I enjoyed most of this work, this seemed to lack any real purpose - and by the end I was browsing along, trying to finish it off quickly. For fans of Joseph Roth only. 2/3 out of 5....more
Reading something, somewhere, this title popped up, and I realized I had never gotten around to reading it. The idea of a memoir of Greenwich Village Reading something, somewhere, this title popped up, and I realized I had never gotten around to reading it. The idea of a memoir of Greenwich Village post-WWII really grabbed me at the moment, and I went and bought an ebook of it, so I could start reading it right away. And, after all, it was only 150 pp long (the memoir was started late in his life, and unfinished at the time of his death in 1990 - it was edited and published by his wife, Sandy, in 1993). Much of it is given over to his relationship from hell with artist/writer Sheri Martinelli (nee Shirley Burns Brennan, who later went on to become Ezra Pound's assistant/muse/lover at St Elizabeth's for about 7 years) - here named Sheri Donatti. Honestly, it is much more interesting when he writes about his friendship with other writers, and even his relationship and evaluation of some of his teachers at the New School. But even there he writes about how superior he is because he chooses to live in the real world, and not in the world of books. His story of bringing a trio of bookish intellectuals, including Delmore Schwartz (who, according to Broyard, didn't write that much that was memorable, and greatly admired Broyard's honesty about his writing above that of other friends - don't cha know...) to Spanish Harlem. Where Broyard gets to show off his connection to the real world, as compared to their bookish lives. Oh, and BTW, he doesn't really like jazz, as he lets us know elsewhere. Some of his comments, especially about Jewish people (his widow admits to his "prejudices" in her afterword to the book), are of interest, given that in 1996 Henry Louis Gates "outed" him as having "passed" during his lifetime. I am not so sure how much he actually did pass, given the vague history of his ancestory. He was from NOLA originally, and there were Black family members in his past (how far back?). But to call it "passing" because of "one drop" is living by a white racist definition of being "Black". It is also the name of the memoir by his daughter, Bliss - which I am not going to read, at over 500 pp. And, it seems it was rather an "open secret" that he was "Black" in the literary world he is writing about here. Well, then in the second part of this blessedly short book he again starts in about sex in mid '40's NYC. For all the difficulty of having it that he presents, it sounds like he did pretty well for himself (he does not, thankfully, give numbers). OTOH, we do know from other sources that women and men were much more sexual active back then than we give them credit for. But then, these women were not "good girls" from the middle and upper classes, which is the type he pursued. Yeah, it was OK, but I would have been much more interested in stories of his relationship with other artists and writers than in his sexual life. Although the story of when Sheri turns up at his parent's apartment post-breakup is "fun", in all of its uncomfortableness. For me, just not that interesting - not the "Moveable Feast" of mid '40's NYC I thought I was gonna be reading. 2 out of 5. He did not publish much more in book form, so I don't have to worry about not reading anything further by him....more
Premiere historian of totalitarianism, Snyder, has moved away from "historical" writing here and moved into "current events". Best known for his quickPremiere historian of totalitarianism, Snyder, has moved away from "historical" writing here and moved into "current events". Best known for his quick, but insightful, "On Tyranny" (I have gifted that little book so many times!), this covers Russia and the West from 2010 to about 2017. The DNC should have bought this in bulk and handed it out on the street corners prior to this last election in the US. The first chapter is a bit heavy going, as he explains the "inevitabilty" of liberal democracies to the "eternal" of conservative, totalitarian oligarchies. He then moves on to Putin solidifying his position in Russia, their first invastion of the Ukraine (and their messianic vision of themselves), and a searing chapter on DJT's connections to anti-democratic Russia. This book is not only not outdated (as some current events/poli-sci titles can be), but chillingly current as we watch DJT Term II pull some of the same sh*t as Putin. Attacking gays would not be effective - but then there is the super minority of trans people who could be vilified. My only complaint is he does not spend enough time on the shortcomings of the "inevitables" - their naivety, and unwillingness to play rough back in order to preserve democracy. And the short Epilogue is rather more vague than precise. It is a joy to read what is the work and thoughts of an obviously brilliant individual. The book is also supported by 60 pages of Source Notes in the back (hmm, those who gave it 1 or 2 stars on ŷ, claiming he is just throwing accusations out there, seem to have missed this part). I have to say, I did not realize how amoral, evil, delusional and anti-democratic Putin is until I read this. As always, looking forward to reading more of his work - perhaps the thick volume he wrote with the equally brilliant (and dying at the time) Tony Judt. 5 out of 5. Not an easy read at times, but a more than worthwhile one. Oh, and I love that Snyder *always* introduces DJT as, "...the fictional creation 'Donald Trump, successful businessman'...."
My thanks to FSG and Picador for an eARC of this upcoming (June 2025) reprint of an early Simenon Maigret novel. Penguin is better known for publishinMy thanks to FSG and Picador for an eARC of this upcoming (June 2025) reprint of an early Simenon Maigret novel. Penguin is better known for publishing this Belgian author. This is the 2014 translation by David Coward. It was also translated into English by Anthony Abbot as "The Crime at Lock 14" (1934) and in 1963 by Robert Baldick as "Maigret Meets a Milord" (reissued in 2003 as "Lock 14"). It was made into a big screen or TV movie 4 times ("Maigret and the Gold Diggers" - what does that have to do with the book??????) It is listed as volume 2 or 4 in the series of 75 novels Simenon wrote with Maigret as the main character. Simenon began writing the series in 1928 or 1929, but only in 1930 was the first one published. This is one of about a dozen titles he published with Maigret in 1931! He was known to write 50-80 pages a day. I have not read a Maigret title in decades, but a few years ago I read a few of the Simenon gritty, Social Realist non-Maigret books that he had written earlier. This is set on the waterways and canals of France. Simenon in the late 1920's had a houseboat built, and he traveled these for about a half a year. With his wife, and the younger "assistant" who stayed with them for over 30 years, Boule. The carters and canal boats make this is a very blue-collar kind of novel. It is short, and can almost be read in one sitting. All kinds of "red herrings" are thrown out from the very first page, with a surfeit of details. And it is only by a hint thrown out by one of the disliked rich people of the novel (even Maigret admits he had spent too much time trying to find one them guilty) that he begins to piece the case together. In the end the criminal is more sympathetic than the victims, but even their deaths are more sad than horrifying or tragic. I hope to read more in this series, and I have one other eARC from Picador. But I do believe that either you like Simenon, or not - he is not cozy, and he is also not "tough", like a Hammett novel. 4 out of 5, looking forward to my next quick read of Simenon. Ii can imagine getting addicted to these. ...more
I started to read an out of copyright eBook of this novel, but there are so many contemporary to the time of publication references in it that I endedI started to read an out of copyright eBook of this novel, but there are so many contemporary to the time of publication references in it that I ended up buying a highly annotated Oxford World Classics copy instead. More on that later. There are certain books that should be read when you are younger - and never again. I am rereading from my youth, and picked this up again after about 50 years, when I was an undergraduate. OK, it is hard being 72 and brought up blue collar to care about a rich kid who goes to an Ivy League school. Interesting at times, but I did have to churn my way through the last 25 pages or so, where Amory gives us his political beliefs. He (and Fitgerald?) have decided to become a Socialist it seems. Can you imagine Fitzgerald, who always lived way beyond his means, as a Socialist? The ideas, as many are throughout the book, are rather sophomoric. Drop the deconstructionist's "the author does not matter" - this IS Fitzgerald. And it is "autofiction", nearly 100 years before the "new" genre was "discovered". But the books and the ideas presented in it are important (as are the many now gone NYC locations). I can see why it was a Bible for numerous new Lost Generation youngsters. It is a blow-by-blow battle with the pre-WWI Victorian culture that their parents had grown up in. For that reason, I am glad to have reread it after all this time. Plus, I had forgotten how experimental the text was. Fitzgerald uses the usual narratives, but also letters (both to and from), poetry (honestly, hard to get through) and even a play. And often uses short, cinematic, chapters. As for the OWC edition. Philip McGowan spends most of his Intro trying to convince us that, "Well, it is not 'Gatsby', but he had to write this to write that...." His paragraphs are often 1, or even 2, pages long! The Notes are helpful, but also seem to be written for either a High School student, or a non-American. Do we really need to be told who Da Vinci was? Or various American Presidents? OTOH, the novel is kind of a reading list of Fitzgerald's youth - and many of the authors he mentions are no longer recognized. A nice reminder that H G Wells was a highly regarded Social Realist novelist, not just known for his fantasy titles. But I am not sure why McGowan (Queen's University, Belfast) gives us so many detailed notes, but then does not bother to translate the Verlaine poem Eleanor recites in the original French. I do love OWC editions, because of the Intros and the Notes, but this was the most disappointing one I have used yet. I do plan to read some more Fitzgerald - I have never read his short stories before. And hope that they are not something I should have read 40 years ago. 3/4 out of 5.
2 lesser known works by Euripides, and one of the very best known of Classic Greek Tragedy. Excellent Intro and Notes by Mathew Wright. And bibliograp2 lesser known works by Euripides, and one of the very best known of Classic Greek Tragedy. Excellent Intro and Notes by Mathew Wright. And bibliographic notes by translator Diane Arnson Svarlien. They stress the musicality of the plays, especially in "Helen", which they propose is more like an opera. Very modern translation, with lines like, "Did you ever hook up with a woman?". And describing one older character as a "buttinsky". Readable, with great scholarship to go along with it. Highly recommned all the Hackett Greek drama translations. 5 out of 5....more
I bought this for the 4 translations of Euripides by Emily Wilson in here (with 4 of the plays translated by her, I am not sure why her name is not alI bought this for the 4 translations of Euripides by Emily Wilson in here (with 4 of the plays translated by her, I am not sure why her name is not also on the cover). She has gained reknown for her recent translations of Homer, and as a Seneca scholar. Known for their readability. The Intros, scholarship and Notes are there, but not in any great detail. It worked fine for the 2 plays I had read already by other translators. OTOH, I am glad that for the previously unread "Helen" I read it alongside Diane Arnson Svarlein's translation (Hackett, 2016). That translation brought out how much the play was similar to an opera. The text was much more "musical". And the Intro, scholarship, and Notes were much deeper (I am sure Wilson is just as scholarly, it is just that it is not included here) Small things - like not identifying the Eurotas River near Sparta until it had been mentioned like 2 or 3 times already. Or not explaining the meaning of bees and "stinging" in relationship to Dionysus in "The Bacchae". Again, Wilson's translations of Eurpides published here are an enjoyable read. But for me this works better as a secondary read, preferring a text with more Notes and bibliographic scholarship in evidence. Read as an eBook - pagination was kind of wonky. 4 out of 5. ...more
Dylan as hipster lit critic. Does not really tell us much about his creative process. Although that is what he says he will talk about at the beginninDylan as hipster lit critic. Does not really tell us much about his creative process. Although that is what he says he will talk about at the beginning of the speech. For Dylan fans or researchers only. But have you noticed that since "A Complete Unknown" has been released how every Dylan "scholar/expert" has come out of the woodwork? Blessedly short. I'm surprised I have not read this before. 2/2.5 out of 5. ...more
First off, my thanks to NetGalley and Random House for an eARC of this title. I let it sit around for a bit, but when it was published, and the excellFirst off, my thanks to NetGalley and Random House for an eARC of this title. I let it sit around for a bit, but when it was published, and the excellent reviews started coming in, I began reading it. It is hard to pigeonhole this book, even RH has it as "health". But it is literary criticism as a memoir. And I don't want to say that this is a book just for women, Chihaya's insights are for men as well. She had me in the first few pages, when she talked about her search for a book that would explain herself to herself, to explain her relationship of her self to the world. Something I am still looking for at age 72. 8 chapters and an Epilogue. The first chapter is a bit of a chore to get through. But then the next 7 are each set around 1 book that influenced her life. Often other titles are mentioned in each chapter as well. It is the kind of book I like to read - one that makes me want to go out and read other books that are discussed within it. I had already read a couple of them, but I also added others to my TBR pile. Ali Smith, and an Anne Carson (LOVE her!) title I was not familiar with before. Berkeley, Princeton, Oxford - and went there in the time that Postmodernism and Deconstructionism ruled the English departments! A bit of that still does seep in, but this is more like literary criticism as a personal revelation. A cutter, eating disorders, multiple suicide attempts, and a stint at a mental health facility. An abusive father (interesting that while her mother is thanked in the Acknowledgements, she is rarely, and then only briefly, mentioned in the main text), and a 1st generation minority. Will she ever be good enough? Does she truly deserve her accolades? In the end she does not finish her dissertation and loses her opportunity for tenure at Princeton. But she also realizes tha she is a Writer, not a Professor. But it is not just her own life and the plot and character of the books that are of interest. She also explains her relationship to books, how she reads them, and why. A concept not always easy to share in relatable concepts to others. Yes, there is a LOT going on here. But I do especially enjoy the literary criticism as personal experience - it reminds me of Sarah Moss' recent "My Good Bright Wolf" (eating disorders), another young, female writer whose work I greatly admire. Because in the end her sharing what these books meant to her also opens a different perspective on how we will read them as well. 4.5 out of 5. With her mental health issue, it is hard to read at times - but also at times she brings a smile to the reader's face....more
Imaginative, and a nice idea to tell the story in a new "epistolary" manner. Emails and private texts. But, not my kind of horror. Splatterpunk. He caImaginative, and a nice idea to tell the story in a new "epistolary" manner. Emails and private texts. But, not my kind of horror. Splatterpunk. He calls the 2 novellas and the short story in this collection "macabre", but it is more "shocking". In kind of a "Clive Barker meets bloodless violent video games" unreal kind of way. Glad to see by the postings on GoodReads that I am not the only one who thinks it is kind of weird (not in a good way) that some guy is writing bloody horror about women. And lesbians in particular. And yes, it all feels rushed. I won't be looking for any other books by him. My thanks to my local PL for an eBook loan on this, so I did not have to feel bad about having spent my own money on it. 1.5 out of 5. ...more
This is the second in the Gervase Fen series of mystery novels. The first, "The Case of the Gilded Fly", written when Crispin was an undergraduate at This is the second in the Gervase Fen series of mystery novels. The first, "The Case of the Gilded Fly", written when Crispin was an undergraduate at Oxford, was OK. This one is much better. Mostly thanks to the humor used throughout here. The description of the historic cathedral town of Tolnbridge, while less than a page long, is precise, and hilarious. Crispin pushes the comparison of well known amatuer slueth, and Oxford don in English, Fen to Holmes more here (although we do not meet Fen until 70 pages into the book). And then he throws in Nazis (published in 1945), drugs (oh, that evil marijuana!), witches and the Black Mass, a character named Henry Fielding ("Who?" the character asks), and a confirmed bachelor falling in love and proposing marriage within a day. There are lots of characters, but Crispin (composer Edmund Bruce Montgomery in real life - so lots of music is in here) describes each of them well enough, usually in just a few sentences, that the reader finds it easy to remember the personality of each of them. It starts a bit slow (even with the co-main character, church music composer and performer Geoffrey Vintner, being attacked 3 times in the first 30 or so pages). But by half way through it all kicks in, and reads quickly until the end. I'm looking forward to reading the next in the series, "The Moving Toyshop", considered the best in the series, soon. 4.5 out of 5. ...more
My thanks to NetGalley and Penguin for an eARC of this title. A popular series in Japan (it appears this is the first of 9 volumes in the series), in My thanks to NetGalley and Penguin for an eARC of this title. A popular series in Japan (it appears this is the first of 9 volumes in the series), in a popular new genre. Pets, food, feel good, problems solved. It feels like it is written for the YA market, and written by IA. If you want something that is sweet and cute and does not require you to engage your brain in any activity, this is it. 1 of 5. ...more
My thanks to NetGalley and Penguin for an eARC of this new translation of a seminal work of the 20th Century. A bit odd to be offered it now, and as aMy thanks to NetGalley and Penguin for an eARC of this new translation of a seminal work of the 20th Century. A bit odd to be offered it now, and as an ARC, as it seems it was first published in 2023. ????? A book I first read 50 years ago as an undergraduate. I did not "understand" it then, and I don't now either - but the opening and closing "propositions" have always stayed with me.
"The World is all that happens to be the case." "What cannot be said must be left in silence."
But, as 50 years ago, while I did not comprehend this short, declarative book, that does not mean I did not gain anything from reading it. The individuals involved in this new translation come at it in a new manner. They are artists, poets, and translators, and treat the document as such. Listing examples of Wittgenstein's influence on modern art itself. But also comparing the short, declarative assertions to Imagist poetry and haiku (which works particulalry well with his "picture theory"). And they provide an example (the first few lines of the book) how the propostions often read like poetry (slight rhymes, repetition of sounds). Jan Zwicky's Introduction is particularly helpful here, treating the text as both an example of art, as well as of philosophy. Translator Alexander Booth continues on with both of those approaches in his own short Preface.. Issues - there are no Notes to the text itself. OTOH, that may have ended up making the book 4 times as long! 4 times? Maybe 10 times! There is no Bibliography, although Zwicky's extensive Notes to her Introduction acts as one to some extent. They did not include Russell's Introduction - which would have been helpful, even if Wittgenstein did not care for it. Booth states tha he does not view this as a replacement for previous translations, but as a helpful alternative. Which, kind of does not make sense. More than a century after its first publication (the only book Wittgenstein published in his lifetime) there are numerous readings and interpretations of this text. No reader is going to completely understand it, and reveal to the rest of us the "true meaning" of the text. So, take Booth and Zwicky's advice, and read it slowly and thoughfully - but do not spend too much time and effort on it. Read it as an work of art. 4 out of 5. My rating is base on the edition itself, rather than on the original work. Which is a 5 out of 5, and a necessary read for any thoughtful person today. It is OK not to "get it", and to be frustrated while reading it. Just move along....more
Hmm, having just finished one 18th C epistolary book ("Werther") in translation, this title sounded interesting. Kind of odd, while the text itself isHmm, having just finished one 18th C epistolary book ("Werther") in translation, this title sounded interesting. Kind of odd, while the text itself is short (about 115 pp) it took some time to get through this. Not sure why. Written by a French woman, Françoise de Graffigny, in a period where "Letters from" by "foreign" visitors were popular. Showing off the good and the bad of French/European cultures, by comparing it to other, non-European, cultures. Montesquieu's "Persian Letters" is cited here in the Notes quite often. Jonathan Mallinson provides a wonderful Introduction to the work, explaining why it has become a required read centuries later. I do think he ignores Zilia centering her life, and future, around her fiance (and brother?) Aza. And while Peruvians were going through a period of being admired for having a superior culture (thanks in part to the popularity of Inca Garcilaso de la Vega's 2 volume "History of the Incas" [in the original, "Comentarios Reales de los Incas" and "La historia general del Perú"] - thank you Wikipedia), nowhere does Mallinson speak of the "Noble Savage" influence in French (and American) 18th C writing. It is also a bit odd that the reason this work is read and admired today is because of de Graffigny's letters in here (added to the 1752 edition of the 1747 work) deploring the treatment/lack of education of women in France, making it an early feminist text. Yet we have a man writing the Introduction (well, I guess he earned it - he did do the translation). He also nicely adds some excerpts at the end from a couple of books that influenced de Graffigny, and a couple "continuations" by other writers of this popular work whiuch were published later (adding a "happy" ending). I am not sure who to recommend this work to - since my youth I have had an interest in travelogues/adventures of The New World (this kind of fits into that) and 18th C political philosophy. 4 out of 5. ...more
This was a wonderful birthday present from Jan, chosen from one of my numerous Amazon Wishlists. A new translation published in late 2024, it is also This was a wonderful birthday present from Jan, chosen from one of my numerous Amazon Wishlists. A new translation published in late 2024, it is also a brilliant piece of scholarship. With nearly 1,000 haiku, not all the translations are successful as poetry. The difficulty of translating haiku, let alone Basho's puns and subtlety, and from the 17th C to the 21st, can only be described as overwhelming. The puns and double meanings and cultural references in the poems are beyond most 21st C English readers. Andrew Fitzsimons, who teaches in Japan, has done a worthy job of helping us through all that difficult literary terrain. Each poem is presented in English, lines separated in traditional poetic manner. Then just below is the poem in Japanese using the English alphabet, with lines separated by a slash (/). And then below that are notes on the puns, double meanings, and cultural, geograpical, religious, political and literary references within each poem. There are three Indexes - the poem in English, the poem in Japanese using the English alphabet, and the poem in Japanese using the Japanese alphabet. And an *extensive* Bibliography. This is a university press publication, and the quality of the book is very high (sewn in signatures, a place keeping ribbon). And I would like to thank the U of California Press (Go Bears! - and, the ORIGINAL "U of C") for making this very affordable for the general reader. At $27 (before discount) and nearly 500 pp, it is less expensive, and much better made, than most mainstream publisher offerings. I am reading a page a night - usually three poems. The poems are presented in chronological order. I love the poems, I love reading them to myself in Japanese (learning a bit of Japaneses here!), I love the quality of the physical book (even the boards are special), and I love the scholarship. Fitzsimons shares with us valuable information regarding the finer points of the poems. I do get a kick that there are some "reviews" of this book that complain that his sexual haiku are included in here (Bashu was bisexual). This is a scholarly work, and that in the 21st C we should even consider publishing a bowlderized version is both sad and hilarious. This is, to my understanding, the *complete* haiku of Basho. And to be complete, it needs to be *complete*, not bending over to some prurient standard. 5 out of 5. A joy to read nightly....more
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